Just three months after the Trump administration pledged a crackdown on immigration to the U.S., immigration and customs enforcement now signed a $30 million contract with Palantir to build a surveillance platform called Immigration, which will track information about people’s self-deprived (option to leave the U.S.). Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security has been sending positive emails to tell people about temporary legal status leaving the United States. It is not clear who actually received the message, given that many people who are our born citizens reported receiving the message.
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency appears to be expected to cancel funding for critical software vulnerability tracking projects for the CVE program this week. CISA eventually received funding, but some members of the CVE program are planning to include the project in an independent nonprofit organization.
The lawsuit against the Trump administration’s Houthi Signal Team chat is revealing details about the steps taken by federal departments, but the information is not saved through record laws.
Wired looked at the most dangerous hack you’ve never heard of, delving into the ruthless and two-sided Russian intelligence group Gamaredon. Incredibly prolific Chinese smishing triad text messenger; dangerous member of the fallen ransomware giant Black Basta; Iranian critical infrastructure hackers known as cyberav3gers; trader North Korean cryptocurrency hackers are responsible for a large number of robberies. The infamous, long-standing Chinese crime and state-backed cross-border hacker is known as the Brass Typhoon.
Most importantly, the skeptical 4chan hack can have devastating consequences for the controversial image board. The huge blue of AI companies is helping police generate AI-powered social media robots to form sympathetic characters and talk to those who are interested. The New Jersey Attorney General is prosecuting Disharmony, claiming that the platform does not have sufficient safeguards to protect children under the age of 13 from sexual predators and harmful content.
But wait, there are more! Every week, we fill in security and privacy news that we don’t cover in depth. Click on the headlines to read the full story and stay safe.
The draft Florida bill would require social media companies to provide encrypted backdoor enforcement so police can access users’ accounts. The bill was unanimously proposed from the committee this week and will now vote in the state Senate. If passed, the use of the Minors Act sponsored by State Senator Blaise Ingoglia will require that “social media platforms provide a mechanism for decrypting end-to-end encryption when law enforcement obtains subpoenas.” The bill will also prohibit messages that disappear in accounts designed for children and require social media companies to create a mechanism for parents or guardians to access their children’s accounts. Experts have long warned that encrypted backdoors make everyone less secure, including those they intend to help. However, waves of attacks on encryption have recurred over the years, including the latest trends in the EU and the UK.
A Nevada judge said this week that the “tower” approach is that law enforcement agencies have taken large amounts of individual caller data from cellular towers, which violates the Fourth Amendment and therefore unconstitutional. Cellular towers collect a large amount of information about users, including phone numbers and phone locations, so when police request data from the tower over a specific time period, they often receive information about thousands or more devices. However, despite a decision this week, Justice Miranda M. Du said law enforcement could still use the evidence they collected through the tower dump.
China claimed this week that the NSA carried out “advanced” cyber attacks on key industries at the Asian Winter Olympics in February. Law enforcement officers in the northeastern city of Harbin will bring three so-called NSA agents – Katheryn A. Wilson, Robert J. Snelling, according to Reuters, “We urge the United States to take a responsible attitude towards cybersecurity issues and…stop unprovoked smears and attacks on China.” The U.S. government often calls for Chinese state-backed hacking and naming individuals suspected perpetrators, but China has less consistency in such statements. This week’s move comes amid amid rising tensions between the two countries, including a trade war with the Trump administration.
According to information from the contractor’s 404 media reviewed agencies and marketing materials, CBP is using a variety of artificial intelligence tools to scan social media online and identify interested people online. The CBP announced this week with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that it would begin screening alien social media activities in exchange for anti-Semitism. The statement also said the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is conducting an “anti-Semitism” social media search. “Neither tool is used for review or travel application processing,” CBP told 404 Media in an email, referring to Dataminr and Onyx, but there is no detailed description other than that. These platforms use AI to parse large amounts of data that can be used to develop potential customers for people who may violate U.S. immigration laws.
